April 7, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has moved here.

Some Palestinians who returned to the streets of Khan Younis after Israeli troops withdrew from the city have found themselves surrounded by rubble and heavily damaged buildings, footage taken by a Gaza resident shows. 

In one of the video clips, drones can be heard buzzing overhead. 

The man filming says that there was a high concentration of military equipment in this area during the military's incursion. 

The southern Gaza city of Khan Younis was designated a safe zone by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the early days of the war. 

But as the Israeli army pushed south, the city came under sustained attack, with the IDF labeling it a Hamas stronghold. 

Some of the Israeli military's offensives took place at medical facilities sheltering displaced civilians and health workers. The IDF said they located Hamas militants in hospitals. 

The military is "far from stopping" its operations in Gaza, its chief of staff said on Sunday, after the IDF said it had withdrawn its ground forces from Khan Younis after months of fierce fighting. 

This post has been updated to clarify the resident's comments in the video.

Negotiations in Cairo between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal have achieved "significant progress" and consensus on many controversial points, according to Egyptian state outlet Al Qahera News, citing a senior Egyptian official.

The official confirmed the "continuation of efforts to reach a truce agreement" in Gaza, according to the state outlet.

The source said the Qatari and Hamas delegations would leave Cairo and return within two days to agree to the final terms of the agreement. The US and Israeli delegations would leave within hours, though consultations would continue over the next 48 hours, the source told Al Qahera.

Hamas' demands: Hamas said Sunday it would like to see a "complete cessation of aggression." The group also reiterated its demands, including a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, reconstruction of the damage in Gaza from Israel's military, and a "completion of a prisoner exchange deal" involving a mutual release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly called Hamas' demands "delusional."

The Israeli military said Sunday it is "preparing to move from defence to attack" regarding operations on the northern border with Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have been exchanging increased fire since the day after Hamas launched the October 7 attacks in Israel, with casualties reported on both sides. It is one of multiple ongoing conflicts between Israel and Iranian proxy groups.

"During the last days, another phase of the Northern Command’s preparations for the war was completed, which revolved around raising the capabilities of emergency operational depots for the purpose of large-scale recruitment of IDF forces when necessary ... and their arrival to the front line within a short period with all the necessary equipment for combat," the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF said commanders of regular and reserve units are now ready to be deployed "within just a few hours."

The statement was released in both English and Arabic, with the statement in Arabic using slightly different language. The English-language version does not carry the phrase "preparing to move from defence to attack" and instead highlights the Israeli military's "readiness for the transition from defense to offense."

A group of American doctors who spent over a week working in hospitals in northern Gaza describe "miserable," "catastrophic" and "dire" conditions to CNN, as more people die of starvation in the enclave. 

The doctors volunteered through a World Heath Organization-coordinated mission to the north of Gaza — where little to no aid is reaching hospitals, and spent most of their time at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. 

Video filmed by a CNN stringer in Kamal Adwan Hospital shows the doctors operating on screaming patients on the floor, most of whom are children. Abdelaziz is seen trying to calm down a nine-year-old girl crying out in pain, caressing her hand, telling her to pray to God.

Another doctor said the hospital received "mass casualties" every day — ranging from 10 to 20 people showing up all at once.

At least 30 Palestinians have died of malnutrition in Gaza, including over 20 children, according to the enclave's Ministry of Health. 

"These people, they just need help. They just want this to stop. … Nobody discusses politics here. They just talk about food and water and shelter, and they just want the war the end," Attar said.

Negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, in an indirect fashion and under Egyptian mediation, continued in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt's state-run media Al-Qahera News reported Sunday, citing a senior source.

"The proposed truce includes a detainee exchange deal and mechanisms for the return of the displaced in the Gaza Strip," the news agency said in a post on X.

Hamas said in a statement as its delegation arrived Sunday that it is keen to reach an agreement that would see a "complete cessation of aggression."

The group also reiterated its demands, including a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, reconstruction of the damage in Gaza from Israel's military, and a "completion of a prisoner exchange deal" involving a mutual release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly called Hamas' demands "delusional."

This weekend's talks come six months into the conflict, and as the Israeli military withdrew troops from the southern city of Khan Younis on Sunday, saying they will regroup and prepare for further missions in the strip.

The Israel Defense Forces is "far from stopping" military operations in the Gaza Strip, its chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said at a news conference Sunday.

"We will not leave any Hamas brigades active, in any part of the Gaza Strip. We have plans and will act when we decide," he said, adding that the military's goals in Gaza have not been fully achieved, including the return of all hostages, the return of displaced residents to the north, and the dismantling of Hamas throughout the enclave.

In response to a question about the military's withdrawal of ground forces from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Halevi claimed Hamas' military wing had been diminished to operating as "small terrorist cells."

He reiterated that the IDF has not left the Gaza Strip and that there are "many troops at this very hour" in the strip.

The country's defense minister made similar remarks earlier Sunday, saying the withdrawing troops will regroup and then prepare for new missions, including in Rafah.

Some Israeli troops are leaving Gaza to prepare for follow-up missions, including in the southernmost Rafah region, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, the IDF said its 98th division had "concluded its mission" in the southern city of Khan Younis and was leaving the Gaza Strip to "recuperate and prepare for future operations."

The defense minister said Israeli forces had destroyed "enemy targets, warehouses, weapons, underground (infrastructure), headquarters (and) communication rooms" in Khan Younis.

Remember: An Israeli invasion of Rafah has been anticipated with grave concern from the United Nations and international aid organizations, as more than 1 million civilians are packed into the Gazan city with nowhere left to run.

The Israeli strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers in Gaza are “unforgivable,” the organization's founder, José Andrés, said as he criticized the Israel Defense Forces inquiry into the killings.

Andrés called for an independent investigation and better evidence from the IDF in an interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz that aired Sunday, adding that Israel cannot properly investigate itself.

What Israel has said: In a report published Friday, the IDF said the strike was a "grave mistake" and that troops thought they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drone strikes targeted three vehicles of the WCK late Monday night.

More from Andrés: The aid group founder doubts Israel's claim that it failed to identify the vehicles because it was dark out. Andrés said WCK vehicles are white with a colorful logo painted above, and that Israel’s high-tech drones should have no issue identifying them.

The IDF had said that because the strikes happened at night, the surveillance drones could not see the WCK logo on the vehicles, and that it is considering distributing thermal stickers for aid vehicles to prevent this happening again.

He also urged the US to put out concrete measures to ensure Israel avoids killing civilians and aid workers — instead of just giving warnings. “There should already be consequences,” he said, commenting on the latest White House warning for Israel to do better at protecting civilians.